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Best games of 2012 were ventures to save humans from tyranny

By Doug Elfman

Las Vegas Review-Journal

People often ask how I choose my favorite games of the year.

It’s easy. They entertained me more than other games. They weren’t saddled with fun-ending problems. I think about them occasionally, because they stirred my brain. And if I wanted to replay games from 2012, I’d replay these.

1. “Mass Effect 3” by Electronic Arts for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (rated “M”) — This adventure is as big as three novels or 20 sumptuous movies. It took me 55 hours to reach the climax. I loved every moment.

You portray Commander Shepard — as a man or a woman (that’s your choice). You command a space ship in a sci-fi future war against a sentient robot race and others.

You choose dialogue options and kill-targets; form alliances and demolish villains; engage in cover-shooting battles; and seduce underlings on your spaceship. It is epic good times.

2. “Hitman: Absolution” by Square Enix for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (rated “M”) — You portray world-class assassin Agent 47, sneaking around mansions, farms and public squares. You can choose to stealthily eliminate only the top baddies, or go guns-ablazing and kill their henchmen, too. A perfect game.

5. “Borderlands 2” by 2K Games for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (rated “M”) — You travel deserts, caves and towns across a violent “Mad Max”-type planet, slaying sadistic people and creatures, while halting warlords.

6. “Dishonored” by Bethesda for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (rated “M”) — As a warrior, you use supernatural powers (teleporting, stopping time) plus guns and swords to overturn an evil empire on a steampunk planet.

7 and 8. A tie between “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” by Activision for Xbox 360, PS 3, Wii U and PC (rated “M”); and “Halo 4” by Microsoft for Xbox 360 (rated “M”) — The two best online multiplayers.

9. “NCAA Football ‘13” by EA for Xbox 360 and PS 3 (rated “E”) — The best sports game of 2012.

10. “Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning” by EA for Xbox 360, PS 3 and PC (rated “M”) — A very good action-role-playing fantasy set on a fictional planet resembling Earth as a king-and-dragon landscape.